


Threat

by Rin_the_Shadow



Series: To Turn Spark [14]
Category: Transformers (Unicron Trilogy), Transformers: Armada
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Decepticon power dynamics, Gen, hydra cannon threat, test fire, though this particular story is still mostly canon compliant, wise tyrant doing his thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-09 15:01:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17409056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rin_the_Shadow/pseuds/Rin_the_Shadow
Summary: With the Hydra Cannon finally in his grasp, Megatron prepares for what's to come.To Turn Spark's variation of the test firing of the Hydra Cannon from the episode "Threaten."





	Threat

This was a surprisingly pleasant turn of events. He had the Star Saber, the Skyboom Shield, and the Requiem Blaster all at once. Construction on their ship had taken a setback when those meddling Autobots had taken the Mini-Cons, but they had more than recovered since then. Soon enough, they would be able to lift off, and perhaps then they would be able to mount an attack against the Autobot base, retrieve the Mini-Cons (and perhaps exact a little vengeance, while they were at it), and return to Cybertron.

Of course, this was without considering what Thrust had said regarding the weapons. He hadn’t been sure of whether or not to trust his tactician when he had first suggested it. After all, his success rate had been abysmal at best since he had come to the lunar base, and although he liked to think himself lenient when his men were adjusting for different circumstances, there was simply no excuse that could cover the kinds of failures Thrust had brought them. The idea of a powerful weapon which could turn the tides of the war singlehandedly seemed more like a desperate plea to lobby for favor than anything with any factual basis.

And yet something in him made him test that theory, made him set out to intercept Starscream and Jetfire as they returned from Mars. He hadn’t believed it would be as simple as putting the three in close proximity, but _something_ had made them react, each one pulling the other in with such force Megatron had feared he would lose his grip on the Requiem Blaster. They had fled, of course. He had begun to understand that—his former second had always feared true power, and the Autobots were no different in that regard. It still surprised him somewhat that Thrust had been telling the truth.

“Congratulations, Thrust,” he said. “It appears your plan has succeeded. Still, I hope you aren’t expecting me to give you that kind of leeway with all your future plans.” He could appreciate the results, but something about his recent secrecy made him more uneasy than he cared to admit.

“Of course not!” Thrust stammered. “With the Hydra Cannon now in our—er, _your_ grasp, there is no need for further secrecy.”

Now, that piqued his interest. “The Hydra Cannon?” He himself had never heard of the weapon before his tactician had mentioned it, and considering he had initially treated it as a mere theory, albeit one he felt extraordinarily excessive confidence in…

“Ah, that…” Thrust looked over the railing, surveying the construction on their space craft—mostly touch-ups and cosmetic adjustments at this point. “Merely a pet name I’ve…invented for it, in a sense.”

Megatron felt a gear tightening in his head. “Do explain it to me, _soldier_.”

“You see, in ancient legend, the hydra was a massive creature possessing nine heads. In a similar fashion, the Hydra Cannon is created through the combination of nine Mini-Cons.”

Hm. Let it never be said that Megatron had no appreciation for poetics. “Interesting…And when can we use it?”

“Oh, whenever you wish, Lord Megatron. However…” he trailed, drumming his fingers against the railing.

“However…?” His patience for this game-playing was starting to wear thin.

“Well, you saw the kind of power-output that _breaking_ the connection had, even before it was fully formed,” Thrust blustered. “If it’s anything like that when _fired_ , well, you can imagine what’s going to happen.”

“Yes…” Megatron could easily picture it. “Well, then, Thrust, I believe you’ve found your next assignment. Find me a target.” He turned to Demolisher and the others, who were still finishing up. “The rest of you, get this ship ready for takeoff! We’ll christen her with the test fire of the Hydra Cannon!”

With that, he turned and marched from the room, his mind already working at what he might do with this new power.

* * *

 

Hours later, the Decepticons had boarded their vessel. Everyone was in position, and they were prepared for liftoff. As Megatron surveyed the group, he couldn’t help but notice the growing unease building within. Not a _fear_ , mind, but something of a general sense that something was wrong.

Perhaps it was the fact that he had now been betrayed no less than thrice in this conflict. While he had experienced his share of betrayal throughout the conflict with the Autobots, he had never expected to see someone who had genuinely been one of his own turn up at the side of the Autobots, much less leading missions at separate points. That was assuming he had ever been anything less than a treacherous schemer. Still, he supposed it served him right for telling him to do whatever it took to defeat him. Of _course_ he would take it as literally as that.

Scavenger, on the other hand, had not been much of a surprise, at least in principle. Spies were nothing new, although his tactics had differed from what he had come to expect. He had learned to expect to find some kind of suspicious behavior at some point, a communication that didn’t match the frequency of the others in the logs, the Autobots coming up aware of things they should not have been able to find out, a troop slipping off with only flimsy excuses to offer as to why. Scavenger had done none of these things. Why, he hadn’t even attempted to flatter the Decepticon warlord or buy his way into the ranks with information, not that it would have made sense to when Megatron had been the one to call _him_.

He’d been aware of his past instructing at the military academy, but he had long since abandoned that past to serve as a mercenary. Perhaps that had also been a ruse. It certainly wouldn’t surprise him, if that was the case.

And the third…Sideways was still out there somewhere. If the Star Saber had next to no effect, perhaps the Requiem Blaster or even the Hydra Cannon would be nothing to him as well?

 _If_ it was even the kind of superweapon Thrust seemed to believe it would be.

From his place at the flight control console, Demolisher informed him that all systems were within acceptable parameters. Megatron nodded his approval, and then they were off.

At least, that was what _should_ have been the case. It _was_ the case for the first few moments. The old ship they had used for a base—had it been called the _Exodus_?—shuddered and screeched as it split around their new vessel. Briefly, Megatron could imagine the look of horror his former second wouldn’t quite be able to hide. He had voiced a desire to delve deeper into the records at one point, playing it off as though it might yield them some advantage, but he had seen his true motivation. But at the end of the day, there was no need to save any part of it for one who was no longer part of them.

A violent lurch shook him out of his thoughts. “What now?” he growled, not in the least bit happy about the interruption.

Demolisher faltered for a moment, stuttering to himself as he twisted dials and punched in commands. “It’s the engine! We don’t have enough power to escape the moon’s gravity,” he huffed in frustration. “I’ll see if I can reroute…”

“ _What?_ ” Megatron stood. They had conducted _how_ many tests to ensure this very thing would not happen?

But Thrust was already offering his excuses. “It must be the Hydra Cannon, sir! You see, I failed to calculate the impact the Hydra Cannon would have on our liftoff! And so my calculations are off! That must be it!”

That hardly sounded convincing, even without considering that the three weapons were still separate. “For your sake, Thrust, I hope the ‘calculations’ of the Hydra Cannon are not beyond your control.”

Thrust stood humbled. “Of course not.”

Demolisher called out the results of his adjustments, continuing to make them, Cyclonus chattered nervously—mostly nonsense—and Thrust fretted. The Decepticon leader sat back into his seat. If the ship continued to lurch, he was not about to make a fool of himself in front of his men. All this preparation, all this planning and adapting, only to be stopped at liftoff? Oh, he was _certain_ his second would have had something to say to that.

“I’ve got it!” Demolisher crowed, and the ship pulled away moments later.

He allowed a satisfied smirk to curl at his lip. “Well done, Demolisher. And now, Thrust, have you found a target?”

The tactician nearly jumped out of his own frame. Of course. Why in the world would he expect him to do the work he had assigned to him?

But then he recovered. “Well, Lord Megatron, I had thought about this for some time. After all, such a monumentous occasion requires a target of sufficient…” He stopped at Megatron’s glare. “Of course…In any event…”

He gestured to the targeting screen in front of them, and all the Decepticons fixed their gaze on the image of the comet. “You see,” Thrust continued, “a comet has long been considered an omen of doom or destruction—very fitting considering what you will unleash upon it!”

Megatron had to chuckle to himself at the notion. “Well, Thrust, your flair for the dramatic aside, it is indeed a suitable target. However,” he watched for the tactician’s reactions. “There is one regard in which you are mistaken. You see, I have decided _you_ will take the first shot.”

There was a cry of protest from his troops, not that this was any surprise. Of course they wouldn’t understand his intent. So much the better.

Oh, and his tactician put on an excellent show of humility. “But L-Lord Megatron! I couldn’t possibly—”

“Oh?” Megatron drummed his fingers against the arm of his seat. “I was under the impression the Hydra Cannon was _your_ idea, Thrust. And that the plan to recover the Star Saber and the Skyboom Shield was _yours_. Doesn’t it seem fitting that I should give you the first shot?” He felt his expression tightening into a fierce scowl.

To his surprise, Thrust recovered quickly. “O-of course, Lord Megatron. It was merely surprising is all…” He started to reply, but then stopped short under his leader’s glare. “I will fire the shot.”

Demolisher maneuvered them into position. “Very well, then,” Megatron acknowledged him. “Now, Thrust. Prepare to fire!”

There was a whirring as the targeting computers focused, and then a click.

“Fire!” Megatron ordered.

Thrust pressed the button. The Star Saber, the Skyboom Shield, and the Requiem Blaster were loaded into the firing chamber. He could hear the energy crackling as a charge built up. Some detached part of him wondered what the weapon looked like in that form—if it had a proper form at all. The prow of the ship split open—when had they modified it to do that?

Even with all the protective shielding, he could hear the keening of the charge and the screech as it fired. The shot connected and the comet began to crumble. The force of the recoil shook the ship, and her plating groaned with the strain.

“Lord Megatron!” Thrust shrieked. “We’ve got to get back or the force will—!”

“Full power to reverse thrusters!” Demolisher barked out.

The ship shuddered. Cyclonus let out a mad giggle, but if the Decepticons hadn’t known better, they would have heard the panic surging through it. Tidal Wave cried out and gripped the console. Even Megatron ground his teeth and grasped the arm of his seat, almost hard enough to bend plating.

And yet, when the screeching in the weapons chamber faded away, when the shaking stopped, Megatron looked up at the screen. Somewhere, he heard one of his men crying out that the comet had vanished.

“Yes…” he found himself echoing. He could already see the flaws with such a weapon. Its long charging time would make it inconvenient for prolonged struggles, especially against a fleet, should the Autobots on Cybertron have managed to construct one. The recoil had strained the ship badly enough at this range. They would have to maintain more distance to prevent opponents from seeing this or from attacking around the beam. He wasn’t about to bet units to circuitry that it would have a convenient cooldown cycle—even if he had been a betting mech.

“Well, Thrust, it appears congratulations are in order,” he continued.

“Lord Megatron!” his tactician swept in a low bow. Then, standing, he continued. “With such a weapon at our disposal, we have no need of the remaining Mini-Cons! Why, we could return to Cybertron and conquer the planet!”

A smirk curled at Megatron’s lip. Oh, but of course, he would only think of its power in this moment. “Indeed…” But the Hydra Cannon alone would not be enough. Thrust had not factored in its flaws, but _he_ had not been so foolish. “However, there is still some unfinished business to attend to.”

Oh, there were things he despised about this plan. It would deprive him of the satisfaction of seeing Prime defeated at his hand. He would be unable to exact vengeance on the traitor, and he would have virtually no chance of recovering the remaining Mini-Cons—such a waste of resources. On the other hand, he wasn’t foolish enough to expect the remaining Autobots to surrender without a fight. Even with the Hydra Cannon, if he wanted victory, he would have to engage in a little psychological warfare.

If it meant he had to sacrifice some personal satisfaction, so be it. “Thrust, I want you to target the Autobot base.”

“Of course, Lord Megatron,” he replied. “Just as soon as Demolisher moves us into position, I’ll input the coordinates and—”

“No,” Megatron interrupted. “Optimus Prime will already be aware of what’s happened with the comet. No doubt he’ll put together just _whose_ doing it was. If we wait to move into range, he’ll see us coming and make his escape.” He knew all too well how this Autobot thought. After all, they were both leaders of their factions, and no amount of soft-sparking could destroy a basic survival instinct—nor his responsibility to the others on Cybertron. “We’ll strike while he’s unaware. If this planet must fall with him, _so be it_.”

Thrust stammered out his apology, but his leader had already tuned him out. He had heard enough of that kind of toadying to last a lifetime.

He understood the risks of this plan. Already, he could think of a few more. The destruction of the planet might not even leave him with enough of Prime to bring back, and without proof of his demise, the Cybertronians might not accept it as reality. Perhaps the Matrix of Leadership would choose a new Prime, and they would already be appointed before he arrived. And of course, the collateral damage. He had no love for Earth, but he hated to waste resources.

But these were merely the reservations of an old warlord who had tangled with his nemesis for far too long. If his mission required him to cast aside such sentiment, then so be it.

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally supposed to be part of "Regroup," but I found I preferred it as a separate piece. This is also my first Decepticon-centric piece to explicitly take place in the "To Turn Spark" continuity. While I think "Game" could fit, I hadn't necessarily intended it as such, and it fit more into the bonus scene category than specifically alternate continuity.
> 
> In any event, please let me know what you think!  
> ~Rin


End file.
